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What Patrice Bergeron's concussion means for the Bruins

The best news the Bruins have been able to deliver the city of Boston in 19 years came with a sizable catch. The B’s are headed to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1992, but thanks to a concussion to Patrice Bergeron, they will do so – at least in the early going – without their best player this postseason.

General manager Peter Chiarelli announced Saturday that Bergeron, who has a history of head injuries, did indeed suffer the third concussion of his career when a Claude Giroux hit in the third period of Game 4 forced the 25-year-old center out of the game. While an injury to Bergeron, who leads Boston with 12 points in the playoffs, is certainly a tough pill for the Bruins to swallow, the fact that Chiarelli said doctors deemed it “mild” and that the B’s are operating under the assumption that he’ll only miss the beginning of the conference finals vs. the Lightning means the Bruins dodged a bullet. A year after seeing a David Krejci broken wrist play a role in their postseason collapse, the B's can consider themselves somewhat fortunate by comparison.

Still, the fact that Bergeron will miss any time at all is rough news for Boston. Here’s what it means for the Bruins going forward.

THE BRUINS SUDDENLY HAVE A NEW FAVORITE TEAM, AT LEAST FOR THE NEXT TWO GAMES

The Red Wings were not nice to the Bruins this season, crushing them in a home-and-home back in early February, but they could potentially be their best friends if they can prolong their series with the Sharks. San Jose jumped out to a 3-0 series lead, but Detroit was able to extend the series Friday with a 4-3 victory in Game 4. The Bruins can only hope Detroit keeps up the good work for the next two games.

The conference finals schedule cannot be set until all semifinal series are wrapped up. Though the Bruins and Lightning know they’ll meet in East, the Sharks and Red Wings could significantly delay the beginning of the series. If San Jose and Detroit go to seven games, they would finish up on May 12, which is the latest any semifinal series could have gone (the Bruins and Flyers’ Game 7 also would have been on May 12). If the finals matchup in the Western Conference isn’t known until that night, the Bruins could be looking at beginning their final series next Saturday or Sunday, as opposed to earlier in the week.

That would be the dream scenario for the Bruins, as it would give their concussed center more time to recover and potentially shave a game off the time he would miss. Given the mysterious nature that surrounds concussions, it’s tough to tell whether the “couple of games” prognosis might actually mean a few games or more. Even with the stakes as high as they are, the Bruins won’t be in any hurry to rush their center – whose three-year, $15 million contract will begin next season – back too soon. They know better than anyone that concussions are to be treated delicately, so any delay to the commencement of the next round should be welcomed by the team.

For however many games the B’s will be without Bergeron, it’s only logical to assume that Chris Kelly would play in his spot on the second line with Brad Marchand and Mark Recchi. Like Bergeron, he’s a two-way center, and he’ll have to do his best impression of Bergeron for as long as No. 37 is out.

To this point, Kelly has been one of the Bruins’ best players in the playoffs. Initially perceived as a dud of an acquisition thanks to just five points in 24 regular season games with the Bruins, Kelly has stepped it up big-time in the postseason. He has seven points in his last nine games, and his four goals put him just one tally shy of Nathan Horton, David Krejci and Marchand for the team lead.

It took a bit of time, but Kelly ended up establishing very good chemistry with linemates Rich Peverley and Michael Ryder. Now, he’ll have to hope for the same thing with Marchand and Recchi. He can expect increased minutes from the roughly 16 a night he’s played, and what he does with them will play a big role in determining how the B’s fare against Tampa Bay.

SEGUIN FINALLY GETS HIS SHOT

Yes, Bergeron not playing means that all those who have cried for the second overall pick to play will finally get their wish. The Bruins would obviously much rather see Seguin make his postseason debut under different circumstances, but as much as some place unfair expectations on the 19-year-old, it will be interesting to see how he fares – and what kind of opportunity he’s given.

The book on Seguin has been written in his rookie season: He doesn’t like contact, but if he has space to create plays, he’s as dangerous as anyone on the ice. For a brief time toward the end of the season, Seguin seemed more willing to take hits and as a result of being more involved, he was more effective. For someone who has to have been itching to get in the lineup, Seguin should be focused on making sure he brings that game. It’s that type of game that gave Claude Julien the faith to put him on the power play, but when that disappeared, so too did Seguin’s spot in the lineup.

Speaking of the power play, having Seguin in the lineup should definitely be a boost for the B’s when on the man advantage. If Seguin is inserted on the second unit and it pays dividends, he may be tough to take out of the lineup, which could be bad news for one of the fourth-liners.

As for where he’ll play in the lineup, Chiarelli said Saturday that it’s unknown whether he’ll play center or wing, or on which line he’ll skate. Letting him play on the third line would put give him a couple of assets to work with in Peverley’s speed and the chemistry he developed earlier in the year with Michael Ryder. If Gregory Campbell moves up to the third line, Seguin would play with Daniel Paille and Shawn Thornton, meaning his minutes would be minimal.

The best that could come of Bergeron’s injury would be for Seguin to still be in the lineup when the second-line center returns. It would take a pretty solid showing for Julien to trust Seguin with decent minutes going forward, so if he’s still playing when Bergeron comes back, it would mean (barring an injury to anyone else) that the ultra-talented rookie turned it on. There could be no bigger boost the Bruins could get late in the playoffs than that, and if the B's don't fall behind in the series without Bergeron, it could make things much tougher on the Lightning.

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